Press releases are a fact of life for every business. Learn how to write a good press release so you won’t be wasting time writing stuff that is just going to be tossed anyway. Imagine that the editor receiving your press release is harried, overworked, cynical, and probably under the influence of massive amounts of caffeine and / or nicotine. You’ve got to make your press release a powerful dart strong enough to pierce the rhinoceros hide of even the most jaded editor. Your headline and first sentence are critical, so get these just right before sending your press release to anyone.
There are several ways to make your press release stand out from the masses. First and foremost they must be editorially clean, with correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation. The writing has to be compelling also, and it should be newsworthy. Make sure that your press release passes the “So what?” test. That’s an editor’s first thought upon reading the headline of yet another press release. Make it clear why the information in your press release is newsworthy, or otherwise it will be perceived as nothing more than self-promotion.
Once you get a press release accepted at an influential publication (online or in print), consider offering the editor exclusives in the future for a better shot at getting your press releases picked up again.